Tis the season to learn! Nerd Nite Asheville’s December show is here, with a fascinatingly fun program.
December 5th, 2024 doors 6pm, show 7pm at River Arts District Brewing Co.
Pre-sale tickets $10, door $15 (cash preferred, Venmo etc. available). Get your pre-sale tickets here: https://events.humanitix.com/nerd-nite-asheville-december
Meet your presenters for December’s Nerd Nite:
Katherine Cutshall
Bizarre Attractions of Asheville’s Past
Alligators! Ostriches! Bears! Oh my! In this talk Katherine will take us on a wonky whirlwind tour of some of the most bizarre oddities of public entertainment in WNC’s past. From crocodilian cocktail bars to funky one-man bands, by the time this talk is over you’ll agree- in Asheville “keeping it weird” is just what we do.
Katherine is an aggressively enthusiastic public historian and Asheville native (Yes! We exist!) currently managing the Buncombe County Special Collections library in Downtown Asheville. Almost nothing brings her more joy than engaging folks with the past and helping them to realize that history is more than dates and “important people” – it’s the foundation of our collective memory and a roadmap for our future.
Suzanne E. Fisher
No More Second Place Presidents
There have been 5 second place presidents in the history of the US and 16 near misses where a change in a small number of votes could have created more second place presidents. How did we get to this ridiculous situation? How can we get out of it? Suzanne will fill you in on all the details and tell you how you can help make this happen by 2028.
Suzanne is a cell biologist who was at the National Institutes of Health her entire career. She moved to a mountain home in 2013 and has become involved in the League of Women Voters. Suzanne is the current President of the Asheville-Buncombe County chapter, on the North Carolina board, and leads the local and state Election of the President by Popular Vote Action Teams at the local and state level. She and her husband enjoy traveling by various modes and spoiling their grandchildren.
Kendall Beaver
Deep Sea Exploration
Laced with some sea stories from life on board a ship and the places it can take you, Beaver will describe the institutions that support oceanographic research, and the mechanics and capabilities of how they operate. They will also share their experience from years of working with the DSV Alvin, a crewed deep-ocean research submersible owned by the U.S. Navy.
Beaver is a professional sailor who has worked as a navigational officer aboard some of the most advanced scientific research ships in the world. He has spent more than a decade sailing across the oceans to take scientists and film crews to some of the most far reaching and deepest places on earth. In his spare time he likes painting, writing, woodworking, and writing and recording music.
https://open.spotify.com/artist/46CxNU8YYuF3WOCBNgilbb IG: @castor_beaver
With your host, Von
This month’s Star Trek mini-feature: Star Trek Generations is a Christmas Movie (and the best Star Trek movie)
While not religious, Von enjoys many secular holiday traditions: decorating trees, hanging lights, exchanging gifts, and watching Star Trek: Generations, which is not only a Christmas movie, but the best of all the Star Trek films. You get to see Data swear and William Shatner die. What’s not to love? See some of the best moments of the best Star Trek movie, along with an argument for its superiority so logical it would make Spock swoon.
Von (they/them) is a local performer known for their radioactive style, political commentary, and inability to shut up about Star Trek. A lifelong nerd of both science and theater, they were an avid lover of Nerd Nite in Los Angeles before moving to Asheville and starting the local Nerd Nite Chapter.
Von claims this show for the Romulan Empire. (IG: @von.infinity)